As industries and corporations realize that going green can save them green, they’re focusing more attention on innovative, environmentally friendly solutions. Rapidly improving technologies and the growing availability, accessibility and affordability of the latest generation of green solutions can increase efficiencies, reduce or eliminate redundancies, improve communications and streamline functionality.
One clear example that already is paying dividends is “thin client,” a network computer without a hard disk drive that operates on yesterday’s mainframe model. Instead of loading applications onto individual desktops, the system allows the processing of all business applications on a central server or servers. The advent of reliable high-speed networking makes thin client solutions not only possible, but also desirable, as the benefits and conveniences of a centralized network far outweigh the relatively minor time and capital investment needed to switch to such a system.
To the agency employee, switching to a thin client system is relatively painless. From a functionality standpoint, the user experience is identical to traditional computing. Employees sign on to an application instead of an individual computer, enabling greater flexibility and convenience. Instead of being “chained” to one machine with customized settings, employees can use a secure login to access applications and data from anywhere inside or outside the company.
Because thin client technology eliminates the traditional operating system and reduces the potential for user error, employees are less prone to experience lockups, freezes, crashes and other frustrating technical issues. This reduces demand for end-user support systems, eliminating the need for full-time desktop support and greatly reducing the number of maintenance calls and tech-support requests.
Studies have shown that thin client users have experienced about 80 percent reduction in maintenance and tech-support requests. Less unplanned downtime and improved computer operations yields an increase in administrative productivity. In addition to cost savings from reducing hardware and support overhead, thin client technology lowers expenses by reducing multiple, expensive software licensing costs for antivirus and spyware programs and desktop management solutions.
From an environmental standpoint, thin client is a dramatic improvement over traditional desktop and laptop computers. Thin client technology can be leveraged to replace most current desktop and laptop hardware for most firms. In addition to reducing landfill consumption and eliminating the need to responsibly recycle large numbers of machines every few years, thin client systems also realize potentially enormous savings in energy consumption.
Companies that implement thin client technology can reduce electrical bills as much as 30 to 40 percent. Upgrades are needed every 6 to 7 years, compared with a 3- to 4-year average for traditional computer networks. And the fact that thin client upgrades require a single change to the central application, instead of upgrades to each individual computer, translates to a faster, less expensive process that is less prone to errors. New software and software upgrades take very little time to install and are instantly available to employees. And because regular security patches take place in one central location, there is no need to maintain a patch management solution for individual computers. Thin client technology also eliminates the security threat posed by desktop and laptop systems, including hacking and installation of personal and unlicensed software.
There are a few drawbacks to thin client. While a centralized system is naturally more vulnerable to a central crash or failure, built-in redundancies and the relative rarity and fixable nature of most single-point tech issues minimize the risk. In challenging economic times, the upfront cost of switching over to a thin client network can be an obstacle for some. However, the savings are so dramatic—it can take less than a year to recoup the implementation costs—that many within the industry are regarding thin client as one of the best investments they can make.
Meadowbrook Insurance Group has been using thin client since first-quarter 2008 with outstanding results. Not only has efficiency increased since network errors and service calls have been reduced (help desk calls are down 85 percent since implementation), but the associated energy savings costs also have also made an impact on the company's expenses. The employees who use the thin client system have adapted to it easily and the transition from a standard desktop system to thin client has been a positive experience for Meadowbrook's associates.
The trend toward green technologies and business solutions is driven by a powerful truth: Sustainable business practices are almost always the most profitable. “Green” is simply another way of saying “efficient.” The everyday technologies every insurance professional relies on present one of the biggest opportunities to introduce those efficiencies into the workplace.
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Chris Spring is senior vice president of business operations and chief information officer at Southfield, Mich.-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group and can be reached at chris.spring@meadowbrook.com or 248-204-8553. For more than 30 years, Meadowbrook has been developing and managing specialty property and casualty insurance programs for select industry, trade and professional associations, affinity groups, governmental entities and independent agents.